


footsteps

by justlikeswitchblades



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Post-Canon, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 07:43:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7160507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justlikeswitchblades/pseuds/justlikeswitchblades
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s something Akaashi finds vaguely comforting in being lost amidst the streets of Beijing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	footsteps

There’s something Akaashi finds vaguely comforting in being lost amidst the streets of Beijing. Turning odd corners, maps and travel guides stashed away deep in his backpack—it’s new to him. He’s never been much of a spontaneous person, but even so, after the summer of his first year at university, he found himself with a one-way ticket, a hastily scrawled itinerary consisting of a few tourist spots, and not much else.

It’s not like he’s looking to be changed in any way—Bokuto’s texts can be enough of a thrill in their own right—he’s more looking for...a change of pace. A place where he knows he won’t have to read pages upon pages of textbooks, or feel himself wasting away at a monotonous summer job.

It’ll come in time, of course.

Just, not yet.

As the sun sets, signs for restaurants and shops are lit up with neon characters he sometimes recognizes, but isn’t quite sure if the meaning is the same. The streets still bustle at this hour, and the unfamiliar chattering in his ears makes his heart jump, but the anonymity cradles him at the same time, allowing him the opportunity to watch and observe.

Judging from the KFC he buys for dinner, he might not be ready to immerse himself completely just yet. He still sits outside as he eats, though, taxis and sidewalk traffic passing him by.

He isn’t quite paying attention when someone walks past him, then backpedals, stopping short to obstruct his view. His brow furrows when he looks up at the stranger, but then he finds himself looking into the face of Karasuno’s middle blocker, and his eyes can’t help but widen. Tsukishima looks at him, matching him in bewilderment and mild amusement, a smirk twitching at the corner of his lips, and he pulls his headphones from his ears.

“Wait here,” He tells Akaashi, walking past him, and Akaashi offers him a stunned nod, remembering to exhale when he realizes that Tsukishima had spoken to him in a language he understood.

Tsukishima sits down next to him a few minutes later, box of popcorn chicken in hand. He pops a piece into his mouth, and his eyes slide over to Akaashi, watching him as he gazes out over the street.

“Asking why you’re here might be a little rude, but...I can’t say I’m not curious.”

Akaashi offers a small shrug, “It’s a little hard to explain, Tsukishima-kun.” It’s quiet and cryptic, though Tsukishima is fine with that, laughing low in his throat as Akaashi smiles.

“What about you? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Ah. Well,” Tsukishima tugs at the collar of his t-shirt, making a face, “The anthropology program I was accepted to had an orientation of sorts out in Xi’an. Which has been fun, but I wanted to see _more,_ so…” He gestures out at the scene in front of them, and it’s Akaashi’s turn to laugh now, muffling as he covers his mouth.

“That’s fair. You seem to be enjoying it, at the very least.” 

Tsukishima nods, “It’s nice.” He goes quiet for a moment then, joining Akaashi in people-watching as they finish up their dinners.

“...If you don’t mind, I could use your help with a favor.” 

Akaashi raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Your former captain hasn’t been able to text me for a week, so he’s resulted to bothering me over LINE instead,” Tsukishima explains, taking out his phone, “I was hoping we could fire back with something a little unexpected.” He opens up the camera, raising an eyebrow at Akaashi.

“He won’t be too happy about being left out,” smiles Akaashi, “But I’m sure Bokuto-san can handle a little chaos.”

He shifts closer to Tsukishima, crumpled up wrapper in his fist. Tsukishima slips an arm around his shoulder, and their thighs touch, subdued mischief in their expressions as he takes one, two, three pictures. The third selfie satisfies him, and he pulls back, fingers dragging absentmindedly over the top of Akaashi’s back until they finally drop away. He stands up, hoisting his backpack over his shoulder, phone screen reflecting white onto his glasses.

“Do you need a place to stay for the night?”

Tsukishima shakes his head, “I actually need to get to the airport—our flight leaves in a few hours. Provided I haven’t gotten myself kicked out of university and am left to find my own way home, of course.”

Akashi bites his lip, holding back a laugh, “Well, if that’s the case—let’s meet up again when we’re back in Japan.”

“Any idea when you’ll be back?” The tease is gentle, and Akaashi smiles a little more openly.

“I’ll reach out first, then.”

**Author's Note:**

> fill for "remember when they happened to meet while both traveling alone in a foreign country?" prompted by doxian on dreamwidth for saso bonus round 1--was prompted akaashi/tsukishima though this ended up being more pre-slash than explicit rom;;


End file.
